Rector's Reflections—Advent 4 C
December 20, 2009
It is hard to believe—at least it's hard for ME to believe—that Christmas is at the end of this week. Aside from the usual hustle and bustle that accompany this time of year, I have added the lovely metallic red walker to my daily routine, an accessory that has put a decided kink in my ability to hustle... and we just won't go to any jokes about the bustle! Advent is almost over and whether I am ready for it to be over is not germane. Today is the last Sunday of Advent. Trees are up and decorated. The piles of packages under said trees are growing exponentially. Holiday cheer abounds. Have a holly, jolly Christmas! Peace on earth, y'all! Serious celebration is just around the bend.
So why does the reading from the letter to the Hebrews have to be such a downer? Must we talk about sin now? We haven't even gotten to the manger yet and here we are talking about the cross!
Indeed, there is a whole hunk of the letter to the Hebrews that is an exposition of the significance of the death of Christ. But the verse that immediately precedes today's reading goes like this: "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin." This fourth Sunday of Advent, then, holds out for the world the hope that God has done something for us that we cannot do for ourselves. We can't with any real joy celebrate the birth of Jesus unless we visit his death.
It seems to me that we spend a lot of time either trying to run away from our sins or rephrasing them so that they really aren't sins anymore. A quick channel surf or web search can take you through so many sins that some almost look like the new normal. If we haven't become immune to sin, we at least have become numb to it... and, even if there's still a sin, in many cases we have taken the proactive position of saving ourselves from its consequences.
Education! There's the answer. After all, isn't sin really just ignorance? If we study more and learn more, the pure preponderance of knowledge can save the day... and us. Well, knowledge is a good thing but we all know some really knowledgeable people who have done some pretty awful things.
Science! That's the answer. We'll find a cure for sin. We'll reframe it as a syndrome. We'll find a vaccine. But as much as science has done in the last fifty years, it hasn't been able to come up with a treatment for pride or greed or lust or envy or any other deadly sin.
Piety! There's the answer. If we pray the right prayers loudly and often; if we go to church every time the doors open; if we go on a mission trip; if we pour lots of money into the collection plate... we'll be saved—and look good in the process.
But what was true then is true now. We need to be saved. We need to be forgiven. We need to be restored. We need to get a grip and remember the earlier verse—"For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats [and education and piety and science and being nice] to take away sins."
The real treatment for our sins is about to be birthed into a world full of sin. Starting this Christmas Day, Jesus begins his journey up to Jerusalem. Starting this Christmas Day, the burden of salvation will be lifted from the backs of bulls and goats (and us, praise the Lord) and taken up "through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Susan+
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